Feb. 11, 2006
Box Score
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (www.lafayette.edu) - Four Navy players scored in double-figures, pacing the Midshipmen in an 89-69 win over Lafayette on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall. The Leopards move to 10-13 overall and stand 4-6 in Patriot League action.
While four starters on the Navy side scored in double-digits, injuries kept Lafayette starters Jamaal Hilliard and Ted Detmer out of the lineup for the second straight game.
After a slow start, the Leopards used a 10-2 spurt midway through the first half to take a 19-18 lead on a three-point bucket from sophomore Bilal Abdullah at the 10:07 mark. The teams traded baskets over the ensuing 5:20 before the Mids ended the half with six unanswered points to take a 38-29 advantage at the break.
A last-second layin from Corey Johnson ended the half, and Navy used that momentum to open the second stanza on a 13-4 run, ballooning its lead to 51-31 with 16:19 left.
The Leopards trimmed the deficit to as few as eight on a three-pointer from senior guard Pat Betley from the right wing to make it 58-50 with 10:58 on the clock. However, Navy was able to regain its composure in a hurry, reestablishing a 20-point lead, 70-50, just 2:11 later. From there, Lafayette would never get to within fewer than 20 points.
The Leopards shot 46 percent (26-of-56) from the field, while Navy hit for 51 percent (32-of-63) on the afternoon.
For the third straight game, senior forward Andrei Capusan led the Leopards in scoring with an 11-point effort. Freshman Andrew Brown followed up with 10 points, as the duo finished with three boards apiece.
Johnson and freshman Kaleo Kina poured in a game-high 19 points each, while Greg Sprink and Matt Fannin ended with 15 and 12 points, respectively for Navy.
Lafayette returns to Easton, Pa. for a Wednesday night match-up against Patriot League leader Bucknell at 6 p.m. Bucknell is coming off a 57-52 win at Holy Cross on Saturday that pushed the Bison to 11-0 in conference play.
Game Notes:
-Lafayette registered five blocks, the second most swats on the season. The Leopards have recorded six blocks on two occasions.
-This afternoon's contest featured five ties and six lead changes.
-The battle reunited former Lafayette assistant John Krikorian with his old mentor, Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon. Krikorian is now an assistant on Billy Lange's Navy staff.
-Senior Andrei Capusan has now surpassed the double-digit mark for the sixth straight game.
-Former NBA player Gheorge Muresan, a family friend of Andrei Capusan, was among the 1,125 to see Saturday's game at Alumni Hall.
